Despite what Horebour had said, the feast must have ended for when Ashton woke up to a loud commotion of men in transit, there was nothing of the feast left to be seen. As if by unanimous consent, the former prisoners suddenly stopped eating, drinking, and their occasional brawling in good humor. Somehow, the tables and food had disappeared and what was left was a wide-open space with men standing around in groups and talking excitedly about whatever was coming next. The doors were open and priests and soldiers were working around and about the men, organizing them and directing their movements. Horebour had joined Ashton again earlier and now a dark soldier approached their section and glared down at them in disdain. He then ushered that group, a total of about a hundred people, towards one of the four exit doors and instructed them to follow that path until further notice. Hundreds of other prisoners were already crowding around their assigned doors, but eventually all the prisoners made it out under the careful supervision of soldiers wearing dark grey and black uniforms.

The captives themselves took everything in stride, excited to be put to use in whatever way Kami had seen fit. Horebour had said to Ashton as they walked down brightly lit hallways stuffed with walking men, “We did not come here feast every day. The purpose of Kami will be fulfilled by the faithful, like us. But,” he said, stretching and yawning. “I wouldn’t mind if they showed me to my quarters.”

Drake was still weak, but he had regained consciousness in the commotion. The men with them were relieved by it as if he was already family to them and they praised Kami’s mercy at his recovery. But poor Drake was not only sore and wounded yet, he was utterly baffled at the events and setting. He was being carried by Gethroe, a large and intimidating man who had helped without asking. Ashton was next to Drake when he woke up and although Drake was very weak, Ashton managed to stop whatever panic motivated crisis Drake would have produced.

“We are among friends, Drake.” Ashton said reassuringly. “These men have taken good care of us.”

“We were very worried about you, my friend. Although not that worried,” Horebour was saying with a wink. “Kami was with you and we knew he would not let sickness and death take away a man who had struggled and persevered to come to him.”

Ashton had become familiar already with the men around him. Friendly and earnest themselves, it was not difficult for Ashton to form relationships. They were curious and somewhat in awe of the two “pilgrims” who had not come with their caravan but had taken a separate“dark and dangerous path” as was necessary to reach The Endless City. Ashton introduced them to Drake while subtly communicating the story he had made in order to be accepted in with these people. Some in the group had heard the story before but others had not and they insisted on its retelling now that Drake was awake. Ashton agreed and retold a story of daring and bravery as an experienced bard could produce. Even Drake was impressed by how awesome he was in the story.

“As you know,” Ashton was saying now, with drama. “A small group is the best way to travel stealthily. Drake and I were able to hide within the enemy’s own caravan for the last quarter of the trip, dressed as one of their own.” The men were captivated by the story and a boy named Heath practically squealed at their audacity. “Among the luggage or around the camp, their own darkness and deceit helped us through. But we knew the time would come when we would have to break from the group and that we would be revealed as ourselves. When the moment came, Drake was able to set off one of their lanterns, cleverly creating a blinding flash to hide our escape. It worked well, but we had underestimated the enemy and their hatred for us.”

“It’s true!” Vayne responded with energy. He was a tall and thin dark haired man who constantly stooped a little to become level with his companions. He was a serious and intelligent and he continued saying, “their dark and mysterious ways will never be fully understood by anybody. Their minds have been warped and deceived and work in ways different from us. They are beyond salvation; their only thoughts are those of hate and malice. I would not be surprised if they pursued you to the ends of the world.”

“They almost did,” Ashton added. “The pack that hunted us was relentless. Through trickery we managed to dissuade most of their approaches, but eventually one soldier found us. The soldier was tall and ugly, as the sorcery of the enemy corrupts all that it touches. His hands wielded a great spear though and his face wielded savagery. I saw the hate in his eyes and I despaired that we would survive to make it to the city.”

“How did you make it then?” Horebour asked, for once listening more than talking.

“We had run as fast as we could during the chase, but we had lost track of the distance. Little did we know that The Endless City was nearly at our backs! The enemy soldier was bearing down on us and was yelling with his harsh cries, but I looked and saw the city at the near distance. I said to Drake, ‘look, our salvation is near! Do not despair yet, not when we are so close.’ Drake looked as well and hope filled him with energy. ‘But that alone will not save us!’ he cried, ‘it is time for action!’”

The crowd laughed and slapped Drake on the back in good humor. Drake smiled at the story lazily.

“Emboldened with the power of hope of The Endless City, Drake turned and attacked the foe with great courage, despite being unarmed and disadvantaged. He caught the soldier off guard and managed to wrest the spear from him. But it was a terrible fight and Drake was inflicted with many wounds. I joined as well when I could and we managed to beat down the enemy. Seeing the turn of fortune against him, he turned and fled, howling in rage and humiliation.”

“Cowards!” Heath burst in. “All of them are cowards and run at the first sign of death. They have no concept of loyalty or sacrifice.”

“Indeed,” Vanyer added. “They do not even know what it means to have comrades to support and empower. Kami’s victory is secure, if only due to our connections and faith with each other.”

“Yes, he was a coward,” Ashton responded, “But I think they are more friendly with each other than you might believe. The soldier had escaped alive and I knew he would be back soon with reinforcements. ‘Come Drake,’ I said, for he had become strangely silent, ‘we must go now! They will be back soon but we can yet make it to our holy destination.’ But Darke responded only by displaying a grave wound to me. He had been injured by the foe without my knowledge and Drake said to me, ‘Ashton, run away!’”

“But I was desperate and replied saying, ‘No! I will not abandon you.’”

“‘Go!’ he yelled back, ‘there is nothing for you here. Out here is only death and darkness. I cannot be saved, but there is still a chance for you. May you find the peace of Kami for me. Go!’”

“He said this passionately, but inside I knew that he was hurting, and much more from a simple wound. I rebuked him saying, ‘haven’t we vowed to make it to The Endless City together? Hadn’t we sworn to not give in to despair and to never lose hope that we both can survive? I will not leave here without you.’”

“And with that, I felt some unknown strength flow into me, and I knew what I had to do. I picked him up and carried Drake back to The Endless City, even as the hounds of the enemy howled at our heels.”

The group was amazed at the story and Gethroe even gave Ashton an appraisal and an approving nod. “It was the strength of Kami, undoubtedly,” Horebour was saying excitedly. “He is ever faithful to the pure hearted!”

“But he was outside the walls and in the enemy territory. How could the strength of Kami reach him?” Heath responded in wonder.

“You fool,” Vanyer said with passion. “The enemy cannot completely block the sight and will of Kami, he is everywhere and sees even the most desperate humans in the farthest territories. How else could he have called us all here, from the wide corners of the universe?”

They continued to discuss the marvels of the story and the richness of Kami’s grace, but Drake and Ashton were looking at each other, remembering the truth. Drake said to Gethroe, “Please let me down, I must learn to walk again soon.” Gethtroe did so and Drake was gently put to the ground. At first, he was unsteady and Ashton came and supported his steps. Drake said quietly to him, “I said I would not regret my choice, that night in the field. And I still do not. I will remember and uphold our promise, if you do as well. We are going to survive here, regardless of what happens to us. And look how successful we have been so far. Right?”

Ashton smiled and said, “Yes, it is true. I will not abandon you either.”

Drake nodded serenely. “Now can you please tell me,” he asked. “What the hell is going on?” Drake suddenly displayed irritation and panic he was hiding. “Who are these people and where are we? I thought we were going to get put with all the other prisoners, not tossed in with the happy guild.”

Ashton shushed him but said, “These are the other prisoners, all of the ones on the wagons with us. I think that this is what it really means to get indoctrinated, they have either lost their memories or they have simply been skewed, I do not know. But they are now filled with the thoughts and feelings that this city wants them to feel. Right now, we are inside the city. I will tell you everything else later, but understand, we are no longer prisoners, but like everybody else, we are happy and excited new citizens of The Endless City. As long as we do as we are told and expected, we will not be in any danger.”

Drake looked around at the men around him still talking and laughing. “Yeah, I will remember that.”

As with all the traveling done in The Endless City it seemed, they walked a long time, on sore feet and well-trodden paths, guided by the creepy priests and bored guards. Everywhere they traveled looked like endless tunnels and rooms, some looked like had been worked upon recently were nice in the architecture and design, But many of them were simply carved out rocks, simple and inelegant. Drake was amazed at the networks of tunnels and the fact that there was no outside or end to be seen.

“We are either in one giant building,” Drake said, “or deep underground. We have been both ascending and descending but I have no idea where the top is or the bottom, or if either of them exist.”

“We could be in a giant building underground,” Horebour had responded, but he and the rest did not seem as interested in it as Drake and Ashton were. Their thoughts were rather with the men with them and the perspective opportunities available to them in The Endless City.

The huge crowd of people Ashton and Drake were walking with down the tunnels and hallways got continually smaller as they continued. Groups of men had been splitting off from the front according to their directions, even as the group continued to move. In many ways, it reminded Drake of the caravan that never stopped moving. Soldiers and priests were directing the movement.

Eventually, Drake’s group had become near to the front where the coordination took place. At the head of the procession was what looked like a high-ranking priest and a similar looking soldier was next to him. It was they who were splitting up the men and assigning them to their respective locations, giving orders to their underlings and glaring at each group personally.

As Drake’s group approached the front all the members became excited again. “This is where they assign our duties and quarters, isn’t it?” asked Heath nervously, “I wonder what they will assign us to.”

“They will probably assign you to some support squad whose tasks mainly include cleaning and cooking,” Vayne replied, causing Heath to retort angrily.

“It looks like they are simply assigning groups according to who we are standing next to.” Ashton observed curiously. “Don’t they want a more complete assessment of us before deciding that?”

“I am not surprised,” Hourbore responded, “We are all the same, aren’t we?” Ashton started at the comment but he continued. “We all are the lost soldiers of Kami. We have already been called for a specific purpose by Kami and, undoubtedly, our assigned tasks were predetermined before we even arrived.”

Ashton didn’t buy the argument, but he didn’t say so to Horebour. He looked ahead at the priest and head soldier again, trying to understand what they are doing. Drake saw understood Ashton’s confusion and he said to him, “In a way, I believe Horebour is right.”

“What do you mean?” Ashton asked quietly, stepping closer to him. Drake had regained much of his strength and was able to walk slowly on his own now.

“The soldiers didn’t kidnap everybody they met; they kidnapped only what resources they wanted. Young men. We are all meant to be soldiers in the first place, and, thanks to the indoctrination, there is no dissent or real issues with that process. For them I imagine, it really is a simple matter of dividing the material they have proportionally where they need them.”

Ashton stepped back and considered what Drake had said. He believed him when he said that they were all meant from the start to be soldiers, but it didn’t look to Ashton that they were that picky about what men they had gotten. As he observed at the feast, not all of the men were soldier material. Why wouldn’t they want to put stricter limitations on who was able to enter their armed forces? Ashton’s thoughts were interrupted by Heath’s loud exclamation.

“We need to stick together, so that we can be in the same squad with each other!”

“I’m not sure I want you in the same group as me though,” Vanyer responded dryly.

Heath gave him a glare. “I don’t care whether you get into my group anyway. I just want to be with these three people,” He said, pointing at Drake, Ashton, and Gethroe.

“Why us?” Ashton asked.

“Because,” he responded as though it was obvious. “I want to get in a fighting group.”

“What does that have to do with it?”

“Come on. You and Drake have already seen combat, and Gethroe is, I mean, look at him.” Ashton looked at him, and Gethroe looked back.

“You are sure to get into a fighting group.” Heath insisted.

Ashton had to agree with one point; Gethroe did look like the ‘rip somebody’s head off’ material, despite his calm and cautious nature. He wasn’t about to tell Heath that he and Drake hadn’t actually seen any action, though. He asked instead, “Why do you want to fight the enemy so badly?”

“It’s what I am here for,” Heath said with intensity. “I can feel the fate. I came here to fight the enemy directly with a sword or something and I knew that I would be able to receive the training necessary to do that. I do not know if I could bear it if I was not put in an action group.”

“All is the will of Kami,” Vanyer said importantly. “And do not forget the enemy within you. We are only acolytes now, but part of the training will include the subjugation and control over ourselves. I am sure, however, that whatever job you get you will do your work with annoying vigor whether it be chopping people’s heads off or scrubbing the lavatory. As a citizen of The Endless City, you must be prepared to do what is required of you.”

“Of course, you are right,” Horebour said, intervening as Heath tried to headlock the man who was significantly taller than him. “But I must say that I feel the same way as Heath. Evil in our lives has always been either an abstract and immaterial entity or else a foe beyond all of our power. To be able to fight it head on would be very rewarding. The glory is in the fight, isn’t that right, Ashton? You understand what we mean, right?”

As a matter of fact, Ashton did not understand. If he had a choice, he would prefer to be assigned to cooking duty in The Endless City rather than put on the front lines. He responded neutrally, “The will of Kami will be uplifted.” The others responded in kind and Ashton felt like he had gotten the hang of the lingo.

They had made it to the very front of the line and the soldier in charge appraised them with a mean look. He was tall and old, with a full head of graying hair and a large brown mustache. His uniform was the usual grey and black but he had extra ornaments attached to it making it clear that he was somebody important. He had in his hands documents and papers that he often consulted.

Next to him, dressed in usual dark robes covering his entire body, was the priest. The priests were impossible to tell them apart from Drake’s perspective, but they seemed to have no difficulty with it themselves. the priest appraised them as well and then said something to the soldier and who then nodded. After another look at the nervous group he snapped his fingers and another soldier appeared from the sidelines. He handed the soldier a folded document and said, “These men are yours, Junior-Marshal. Take them to Newmeag level.”

The soldier snapped a salute and said, “Yes, Sir.” He gestured quickly to the group and they followed him with little hesitation and much anxiety. Ashton surveyed the group and saw that the six of them actually had managed to stick together despite Vanyer’s and Heath’s bickering. As a total, the whole group contained about fifteen people, and they walked excitedly, following their leader and wondering what awaited them on Newmeag level.

“I think we were put on the fighting squad,” Heath was saying. “Newmeag level sounds intense.”

“You are thinking only what you want to think, Heath,” Vanyar said. They were ascending several levels on their trip, through rock and light. “There is no basis for that theory.”

Ashton wondered why they did not simply ask the soldier guiding them where they were going and what type of unit they were assigned to, but they seemed to hold him in a reverence. Nobody approached him. The soldier himself looked to be in his late twenties. He was dressed in the grey and black cloaks as well, but he was missing the chest and back armor that most of the soldiers had. He simply had forearm and shin armor that glinted in the lantern lights that lined the hallways. On his side was a short sword. He looked impressive, walking confidently before them.

Horebour was talking again, “As I had said earlier, I would prefer to be in a fighting unit, but I will follow whatever directives these holy men give us.” He was touching his mustache as if remembering the intimidating one the officer had earlier. “This does seem like a good group of men we are with, I will enjoy getting to know them. And I am glad I was able to stay within your’s and Drake’s company as well.”

Despite himself, Ashton felt grateful too. Within the warm and comfortable feelings that had been imprinted on these people, he could almost forget the reality of their situation. At the very least, he was glad to have been able to make friends he could understand and trust to an extent.

Gethroe was now helping Drake move along again, Drake had grown tired of marching up the staircases quickly, but he refused to be carried. He fended off Gethroe’s attempts to help him further but relented by letting him use Gethroe as a support. Ashton worried that Drake would be able to handle whatever task was assigned to them. If it was fighting, he would need to recover very soon if he was going to be useful. However these men might feel about the city, Ashton knew that if Drake proved to be worthless, they would simply dispose of him.

They had stopped ascending the high and incalculable staircase, and exited onto a floor. The group quickly became quiet as it beheld a large and noble arch supporting the entrance. It was like a gate for the entire floor at the exit off the stairwell and carved into the top of the Arch where symbols Ashton did not recognize. Big blue lanterns stand like sentinels. The soldier with them turned and spoke for the first time.

His voice was gravely and deep, contrasting with the youthful face he had. He said, “Welcome to your new home for the next four months. I am Junior-Marshal Kean and I have been given responsibility for you until you have completed your training here.” He reached inside his cloak and withdrew the document that had been given to him by the officer. “This document states that you all are to be trained on level Newmeag as light infantry for the 2356th battalion. Forget any past notions of ease and comfort! Here you will learn what it means to be a soldier of The Endless City and what Kami-sama desires from you.”

He then dramatically crushed the document with one hand and it shattered like glass and blew away as glittery dust. He looked at them all and spoke again. “You will be sharing this floor with ten other squads and with ten other Junior-Marshels, and all of you are training to be light infantry men.”

He clasped his hands behind his back and spoke proudly, “level Newmeag has a long and reliable history of producing the best light infantrymen in this district. That is due to the hard work, intense training, and increased expectations that I, and the other Marshals, will have for you. Gather your friends around you and support each other in need, for before the end, each of you will be exhausted to your limit and only the comfort of your allies will be there for you. You and the other ten squads will be training in rivalry and competition, but in many cases, you will find the need to work together. As your Marshal though, I expect top performance from my men, besting the other squads in practice and in instruction.”

“This floor will become your new home, your new training ground, and your new life. You will not leave here until you have completed your training. I tell you the truth, all of you will drop dead before I let even one of you out of here without achieving my expectations!”

“Never forget who you are over these next four months! But as Kami is the God of the city, so I am god of your lives! I tell you truth, I have the power to build you and make you into something you had never imagined possible. But I also have the ability to destroy you and end your miserable lives if, for whatever reason, you choose to not put forth your entire effort into mastering my, or the other marshals’, principles.” He paced a bit, checking out his material. “I understand many of you are intimidated and frightened by what I have said. I am afraid you are correct to do so, for those who underestimate the training here will find themselves lost and abandoned, even inside this Holy City. But put your faith in your comrades, put your faith in yourselves, and most importantly, put your faith in Kami. You are here under his Will and purpose, and you have been put into Newmeag level for no other reason than the belief and expectation of Kami that you will succeed. In the end, it is here that the powerful and transforming hand of Kami works most directly in each of your lives. Am I understood?!”

“As your will, sir!” everybody other than Drake and Ashton responded in unison, startling the due. The words of the man were powerful and inspiring and Ashton had gotten himself lost in them. At the sudden and loud chorus of voices, Ashton was surprised. Where had they learned to do that?

The Junior-Marshal Kean looked at the group with an approving glance. He walked around inspecting them. Then he spotted Drake and said, astonished, “What the are you doing?”

Drake looked just as astonished as the marshal to be singled out.

Horebour answered for him. “He was wounded badly and will need rest.”

Kean gave Drake a disappointing glance and then spotted Ashton too, bruised and beaten as well, but at least able to stand up properly. The marshal continued to look at the two as if they were aliens, but he said, “Wounds and injuries will be a normal part of you from now on. You will soon learn to cope with them. I will not let any excuses prevent me from working you hard.”

He turned back and walked to the entrance to Newmeag again. He said, “The full training schedule will begin tomorrow morning. I will not tell you when specifically, but anybody who is not up and ready by the time I arrive will be expelled from my unit and from The Endless City.” Another new man approached them at some subtle and unnoticed signal from the marshal. “This man,” Kean introduced with a wave, “is Hairely and he is the governor of this floor. He will show you around the floor and bring you to your quarters. You are to follow his orders as if you are following mine! You are dismissed.” With that, Kean turned and strode away.

The whole group didn’t move, even after the marshal had left. Paralyzed from the authority and power the man exuded, even when he was out of sight his presence still held them in place and in silence. Full of uncertainty, none of them knew what to do, or what to expect from the new man in front of them. He studied them with a queer smile and glance. He then chuckled and said, “What, Marshal Kean got you scared? Good, that was what he meant to do. Still, you had better believe every word he says, because he means it. I have seen better men than you all get destroyed by his training! But I am not as harsh as him, please be at least a little easy around me. It is his job to push you to your limits; it is my job to bring you back. I will be taking care of you while you stay here. Well, follow me; we do not have all day to stand here. And even more so, for when you dread the approach of tomorrow it comes much sooner than expected. There is much for you to learn tonight as well.”

Hairely was an old man who had apparently been in charge of Newmeag floor his entire life, cleaning, preparing, and maintaining the state of the floor. He worked with energy and faithfulness of a man who had experience and love for his job. “I’ve overseen the turnover of hundreds of units in my stay here, but I have never seen a marshal create such results as Marshal Kean does. He and the other Marshals are each experts in their respective fields of combat and you will be required to train under all of them. If you manage to survive their schedule, then you will be the best equipped to survive in the battlefield. But he really is a monster.”

Gethroe offered to carry help Drake again but he declined saying, “I will be forced to train tomorrow despite how I feel, right? In that case, I must do my best to prepare myself right now.”

“Depend upon your friends while you can, young masn,” Hairely responded, “That is what they are there for. Woe to you the day when you fall and nobody is there to catch you!” With some reluctance, Drake took hold of Gethroe’s shoulder again.

“He called himself the god of us,” Horebour exclaimed. Hairely was kind and easy to talk to and Horebour let loose the thoughts in his heart. “Such words are blasphemy! How can he say such things?”

“The truth is never blasphemous,” Hairely said wisely. “In a real sense, he is the god of you for the next few months. He has absolute authority over all of you and there is nobody who can intervene, not even me. Put your faith in him though, he is not here to kill you; he is here to fulfill the will of Kami.”

Drake and Ashton were afraid and anxious about their ability to survive here and even those who were indoctrinated grumbled a bit at their fortunes. Heath complained, “He will be pushing us too hard though, how did we ever get stuck with such a nightmare of a marshal? I felt the blood in my body freeze at his glare.”

“Indeed,” Vanyer agreed, “I cannot imagine how such a man could exist inside The Endless City. As fellow followers of Kami, how can he treat us such? Our motivation should be coming from our love and duty to Kami, not from fear.”

Hairely responded saying, “Sometimes fear produces better results. But in this case, it will be a combination of the two. His facade of a fearful instructor is an act, but it is also a necessary tool to get you prepared for the battlefield. But you have not lost all of your love and duty in these training halls, the schedule has been carefully crafted to create powerful bonds between the squad members.”

The level Hairely was displaying to them was very large, containing dozens of rooms on either side of a long and wide hallway. It was lt well by the dozens of torches lining the sides. In the middle of the hallway were three long tables, set end to end, crossing the expanse of the hallway. “Here is where you will be dining with the whole floor, twice a day. Unlike most of your other activities, you will be eating together with all the other units.”

Next, he showed them the different and varied training rooms spaced out on both sides of the main hallway. “Each of these rooms represent the different type of training that you will be undergoing. I take personal care to make sure they are properly stocked and clean in order to ensure you best ability to learn and perform in the different areas. The different Marshals operate the different gyms and they will inform you of the specifics for each. It is those places that will be collecting your sweat, blood, and tears.” The men shivered as they walked past the gyms, peering inside and imagining the horrors of the equipment there in use.

Lastly, he showed them to their quarters, the last rooms on the end, full of bunks. There were eleven of them and on the doorway of theirs was another sign that Ashton could not read. He presumed it said something like “Marshel Kean’s unit” but Hairely informed them otherwise.

“It states, To wrestle with Fate. It was put there long ago by some forgotten marshal in the past, but Marshal Kean liked it and claimed this room for his own men. Perhaps he believes that the sign will inspire you to work hard, but I do not see how. None of you are able to read it.”

But Drake was oddly attracted to the words etched onto the door frame, though, and he touched the carving delicately with his fingers, tracing the strange ruin outlines.

“What are you thinking of?” Ashton said to Drake, as the men filed into the living quarters, claiming bunks and securing spots.

Drake didn’t answer his question. He asked instead, “Why do you think the priest choose to not indoctrinate us? What did he mean when he said that destiny was a tricky thing?”

“I do not know,” Ashton replied startled by the question. “From what I have gathered, the priests here are not to be understood.”

Drake didn’t respond immediately, but when he did he asked, “Ashton, I believe that we can survive here. It will tough, but I believe that together, and even with these silly people, we will be able to survive.” Drake turned and looked at Ashton. “Do we still hope and work towards an escape?”

Ashton replied, “We were fortunate to escape the indoctrination and to be alive with our minds intact. I will never forget my life and village in the wilderness, and as such it will live on in my heart. To attempt escape would jeopardize our well-being here, for now at least. I believe that we need to be patient. Until the time comes where escape is clearly an option, we should not dwell on it. And who knows? Our own thoughts may change on us yet and we might find a new purpose for ourselves here as well.”

Drake didn’t respond, but instead gazed upon the words on the arch. Ashton continued, “We should not try to alienate ourselves from the men here. I know that they may seem silly and ignorant to you, but whatever beliefs they hold are real to them. Do not despise them, pity them instead. We have the ability to make a home for ourselves here with these people. At the very least, as Hariely said, there will come a time when we will need to rely on them.”

Drake looked up at Ashton and in his eyes were a deadly and fierce gleam. He said, “I understand what you are saying and you are right. I have promised to give it my best shot at surviving here with you and accepting these circumstances seems to be the best route to do that. However, I will not forget what Kami has done to us. Pity them, you said? You are right, I pity them, but I am also angry for them. I have a great rage for the brutality and mercilessness of this god. As a member of the house of Fendell, I vow never to forgive him and never to forget.”

Ashton wondered at Drake and the power in his eyes. He recalled the other times when Drake exuded such strength before and understood the influence from Drfuil that was awake within him. Just how much did the god Drfuil influence Drake and how much was the mere mortal of Drake?

Ashton was relieved that Drake acquiesced to the governance of the marshal and The Endless City, but he wasn’t sure how long that would last. There was something strange afoot within the system and after seeing the look in Drake’s eyes, questions assailed him as he pondered about the future. Why hadn’t the priest indoctrinated them when he should have? What was the meaning of conscripting masses of men from the wilderness when the city obviously had unimaginable resources and power at their disposal? What end will come to the man Drake, who had a personal encounter with god?

The questions faded, but did not disappear when Hairley announced the orientation and dinner. “Gather your food and your strength,” he said, “Tomorrow, training will begin for all of you and no amount of preparation will fully enable you to be completely ready for the schedule.” The men took his advice with seriousness, Ashton and Drake even more so. Danger the others could not comprehend loomed over them and Drake and Ashton only knew a part of it themselves. There was no sun to be seen on the floor, but Drake knew that with the light of dawn the next day, a certain hell was waiting for them all.